


Try This

by tickwordstockwords



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, F/M, Spock/Uhura - Freeform, Spuhura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-04
Updated: 2013-09-04
Packaged: 2017-12-25 14:23:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/954152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tickwordstockwords/pseuds/tickwordstockwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was incredible in and of herself, but  it was that rich, spicy scent that caught his attention as she passed by him with a smile one day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Try This

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to Sabriel (vulcanblood) and Bunny (girlwitharabbitheart) over on tumblr for nagging me to post my fic over there, then for being acceptably emotional afterwards.

She was incredible in and of herself, but  it was that rich, spicy scent that caught his attention as she passed by him with a smile one day.

Every word she spoke to him was coated with a layer of the whirling, fiery spice of her, and he struggled to focus on her words. He was constantly de-railed by the temptation to pull her close and inhale right where her neck meets her shoulder. He wasn’t one to give in to such temptations, but the image persisted nonetheless.

After one of his lectures, she requested his company for lunch to practice her Vulcan. He accepted as her professor – to assist his brightest student, but he felt a strange need to pursue the origin of her unique perfume. The one lunch meeting became two, and then three, and then a regular occurrence. Soon the scent that so intrigued him was decorated with her laugh, with her bright eyes, and with a nagging tug between his ribs.

"Try this," she said to him. Their regular lunches had led to Saturday-morning breakfasts, and on this particular Saturday they were holed up in a warm, quiet diner. Spock had been gazing out the window, trying in vain to discern the streetlamps from the mailboxes through the thick morning fog. He looked over at Nyota, who was holding out her warm, steaming mug. He accepted the proffered beverage, but he had barely brought it to his lips when he looked up at her, his eyes wide with recognition.

Even full-blooded Vulcans can’t disguise their emotion when caught unawares, and Spock was certainly caught unawares. In that moment, with her face and slight smile shining in front of him, he could not stop his wonder and affection from showing on his face. When he became conscious of his lapse in control, his cheeks greened slightly and he took a sip in a desperate attempt to hide what he knew was clear as day upon his face. “What is this?” he asked. He knew it as well as he had come to know her-it was what he had been seeking for so long, the source of her strange perfume-but he remained ignorant of its name.

"Chai tea," she said. There was a question in her eyes that he didn’t acknowledge.

* * *

 

As the winter months passed, he stopped trying to believe that it was just her scent that held him close to her. Uhura’s quick wit sparked and her casual elegance shone, her easy smiles made his stomach flip and he admired (and was certainly intimidated by) her unstoppable determination. He found his thoughts gravitating towards her more and more, and was constantly amazed by the deep comfort her company and friendship gave him.

As the terran spring neared, the switch flipped. Nyota had discovered a cafe that she was determined to bring him to, and one afternoon they found the time to walk over. They were crossing the street, her in cadet red a few paces ahead, leading him like a lighthouse leads a lost boat to shore. “Nyota, why are you walking so quickly?” he asked. She turned around with a teasing grin just as a loud metallic screeching filled the street. Her head snapped to the right of him towards the noise, and the panic that flooded her face was visible only for the split-second before she lunged towards him.

Her hand grasped his, and she pulled him towards herself and out of the path of the malfunctioning vehicle just in time. Together they stumbled onto the curb and collapsed haphazardly on the concrete. She let out a shaky breath, but didn’t release her white-knuckled grip on his right hand.

Nyota’s electric-blue, panicky relief flooded his mind. He could feel the tenseness of her shoulders through the connection, and wondered inanely how to explain what her hand-holding meant. Vulcans are touch-telepaths, Nyota. I was not expecting physical contact and so was unprepared to guard myself from your thoughts. I now know of your deep affection for me, both platonic and romantic and I wish to apologize for not having gotten your consent for—wait—

“Nyota,” he started. She jumped slightly and dropped his hand as though burned.

“I’M SORRY OH GOSH I’M SORRY SPOCK I DIDN’T THINK I JUST HAD TO GET YOU OUT OF THE WAY—“ she said with wide, frantic eyes.

“Nyota, I—“

“IT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE THERE WASN’T TIME I JUST”

“Nyota—“

“I’M REALLY SORRY I—“, Spock took her hand from where she was using it to gesticulate wildly by her face.

He sent her calm waves of mossy green, soothing butter yellows and quiet tans. Her shoulders relaxed, and her face softened, and he released her hand.

“Oh.”

"Thank you," she shook her head and opened her mouth to respond, but he spoke first.

"I must admit that I care for you most deeply. I always look forward to our daily outings, and your friendship means a great deal to me." She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

"I value your friendship rather highly as well, Spock."

"I should also inform you that I have developed romantic notions towards you." She looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise.

"Your feelings are not unrequited," she said softly, then narrowed her eyes and flashed him a teasing grin.

"Did you know, Spock, that the tips of your ears blush green sometimes?"

"I seem to remember the purpose of this outing to be centered around trying a certain cafe, not around making inane observations around some of my physiological responses to external stimuli," he huffed as he stood up from the curb. Nyota laughed and rose to join him.

"And when you get embarrassed you become very rude."

"This does not seem to deter you from antagonizing me whenever it suits you," he said and offered her his elbow. "Will you join me?"

"I would love to."


End file.
